Streets are real estate

Riders gather together at Merola's Market before the bike train down the length of North Ave. to show support for the changes proposed in the North Ave. Corridor study on Sept. 10 in Burlington.
(Photo:
RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS
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The North Avenue Corridor Study has taken a year and a half to complete. The plans are excellent and should be adopted by the City Council. The kerfuffle over whether or not to have bike lanes and get rid of street parking could, and should, be looked at from an economic point of view rather than cars vs. bikes.

North Avenue is, by definition, "a broad road in a town or city, typically having trees at regular intervals along its sides." Well, that is what the study is aiming at.

What we have now is a road dedicated to only one mode of traffic, cars, and that is not an efficient use of the real estate. Like it or not, there are a good number of studies from around the U.S. and Europe that show economic advantages to commercial and residential real estate by eliminating street parking, adding separated bicycle lanes and better sidewalks. Additionally, there is also ample evidence that business increases as these amenities are put in place.

The resistance to traffic calming and lane reduction to accommodate bicycle tracks, add green space and wider sidewalks is myopic. It ignores the increase in economic advantages to the New North End. After all, it's people who purchase goods and services, not cars or bikes. To quote the website "City Lab," cars don't spend money — people do.

By closely studying the ways people move and do business in the urban environment, proponents of local business are boosting sales in retail districts by looking for optimal ways to use public street space.